Kyle Chalmers failed to qualify for the 100m butterfly semifinals at the Budapest World Championships after his controversial upset at the event.
The gold medalist of 2016 in the 100 meters freestyle is trying to add a butterfly to his program in view of the Paris Games of 2024.
That led him to decide, when he finished second in the Australian rehearsals, ahead of former pop star Cody Simpson, to take a place on the Dolphins’ team at the World Cup.
Broadcast more than 50 sports live and on demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14 days free now>
However, Chalmers swam just 52.70 – more than a second behind his test time – in Hungary to finish 22nd overall, well out of the top 16.
In testing in Adelaide last month, both he and Simpson swam times that would be fast enough to reach the semifinals.
Australian champion Matt Temple qualified 12th fastest with 51.86, as Hungarian Christoph Milak reached the top of the charts with 50.68.
Simpson and Chalmers are both expected to swim at the Commonwealth Games later this year in Birmingham and clear the air after the test drama.
“I held my breath all week, wondering what decision Kyle was going to make,” Simpson said.
“He is obviously right – he qualified second, so I would respect any decision he wanted to make.”